Fly fishing report · Southwest

Little Colorado River

A Greer-focused Little Colorado River report with RiverReports flow context, USGS data, high-country weather, trout tactics, access notes, and special regulation checks.

Check flow & weather

Today's river scoreHigh source confidence

Caution

Best option: Wade.

Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes

Recommended approachWade

Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.

Wade · Best fit45/100

Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

Bank / edge45/100

Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.

Float45/100

A float is in play where this report supports boat access and wind, releases, and shuttle logistics are manageable.

Confirm before you leave

Flow and weather right now.

Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.

River strategy

Fish it like a small, clear mountain stream.

This page covers the Greer area of the Little Colorado River, not the entire long river system downstream. The useful plan starts with the Greer gauge, current special rules, and whether the stream has enough cold water for careful trout fishing.

Use RiverReports and USGS 09383400 before driving to the Greer reach.
When the gauge is very low, fish light, move slowly, and be ready to switch to nearby lakes or another water if trout are stressed.
Check Arizona special regulations because the Greer reach, East Fork, and South Fork can have different seasons and tackle rules.
Summer monsoon storms can raise or stain small water quickly, even when the morning looks calm.

Why this score moved

FlowUse caution

USGS shows 4 cfs with a falling about 17% over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1961-2025, 40 readings) puts normal around 9 cfs and the low-water marker near 5 cfs; today's flow is unusually low for the date. Low water can make fish spooky, warm, pressured, or concentrated; check temperature and handling risk.

HeatUse caution

The NWS forecast is near 84F. Fish early and verify water temperature where trout stress is possible.

Short-term weatherUse caution

The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.

Best mode nowUse caution

Wade: Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

SeasonHelps score

Early summer: Often the most useful small-stream window when flows settle and trout feed on mayflies, caddis, and small nymphs.

Read the water

What changes the plan.

Expect small-water trout fishing where approach, shade, and water temperature matter more than long casts. The best windows are usually cool mornings, stable flows, and periods when trout can feed without being pushed by heat, skinny water, or runoff.

Very low and clear

Use longer leaders, small flies, and short careful casts. Skip obvious spawning or stressed fish and avoid walking through shallow holding water.

Stable cool flow

This is the best small-stream window. Fish dry-droppers, slim nymphs, and small dries through pools, riffle tails, and undercut banks.

After monsoon rain

Watch for quick color and flow changes. Fish soft edges only if safe, and avoid creek crossings when storms are nearby.

Warm afternoon

Carry a thermometer. If water feels warm or fish look stressed, stop trout fishing and use the time to scout access or fish a lake where legal.

Field plan

Fish it with intention.

Best flows

Use the Greer gauge trend and water condition together. Stable, cool, clear flow is the best small-stream window; very low, warm, rising, or stained water should move the day to a lighter plan, a lake, or another legal water.

When to skip

Skip or scale back when the stream is very low and warm, monsoon storms are building, special-rule or fork boundaries are unclear, East Fork crossings are unsafe, or private-property access is uncertain.

Local plan

Start around the Greer/River Reservoir corridor only where access is legal, then decide whether Rolfe C. Hoyer, East Fork Trail, or a nearby lake makes more sense after checking rules and flow.

Backup water

If the Greer reach is too low, warm, stormy, or rule-limited, compare Black River, Canyon Creek, Lees Ferry, or nearby lakes only after checking current access and regulations.

Hatches & flies

Bring a flexible box.

TimingWhat to watchUseful flies

SpringMidges, blue-winged olives, small mayfliesZebra midges, BWO dries, pheasant tails, RS2-style emergers

Reviewed pattern · report says “Zebra midges”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it

Reviewed family · report says “BWO dries”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

Early summerCaddis, small mayflies, midgesElk hair caddis, x-caddis, pheasant tails, hare's ears

Reviewed pattern · report says “Elk hair caddis”Elk Hair CaddisLook for a tented elk- or deer-hair wing, clipped hair head, dubbed body, rib, and hackle palmered along the body. The body color should be labeled because tiers often match different natural caddis colors.See photos & how to fish it

Reviewed pattern · report says “x-caddis”X-CaddisThe trailing Zelon-style shuck, low dubbed body, deer-hair wing, and absence of hackle distinguish the X-Caddis from an Elk Hair Caddis.See photos & how to fish it + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

SummerTerrestrials, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, sporadic caddisFoam ants, beetles, small hoppers, dry-dropper attractors

Reviewed family · report says “Foam ants”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide

Reviewed family · report says “beetles”Beetle PatternsBeetle flies range from simple foam shells to hair-bodied and sunken forms. A rounded back and compact profile distinguish the family from ants and hoppers.See family guide + 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box

FallBlue-winged olives, midges, small baitfish or sculpin opportunityBWO dries, zebra midges, soft hackles, small buggers

Reviewed pattern · report says “zebra midges”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

Cold or low waterMostly midges and small subsurface foodTiny midges, perdigons, micro mayflies, unweighted nymphs

Reviewed family · report says “Tiny midges”Midge Patterns by StageMidge wording can mean a threadlike larva, wing-padded pupa, film emerger, tiny adult, or visible cluster. Those profiles fish at different depths.See family guide

Reviewed pattern · report says “perdigons”Perdigon NymphPerdigons use a smooth resin-coated body, sparse tail, prominent bead, and compact silhouette. Body color, hot spot, bead, and jig-hook form are meaningful variants.See photos & how to fish it + 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box

Walk first and cast second. On skinny meadow water, one careless step can move every fish in the pool.

Start with a dry-dropper or a single small dry in broken current. Add weight only when you need to reach a deeper pool.

Fish upstream or quartering upstream when possible so your leader reaches the fish before your shadow or fly line.

In low water, cover the best lies with one or two good casts instead of repeatedly lining the pool.

Use shade, undercut banks, pool tails, and small plunge pools as priority targets.

Access & responsibility

Know the entry. Know the exit.

Verify the current Arizona regulations before fishing. Arizona's special regulation table lists the Little Colorado River (Greer), upstream of River Reservoir to the confluence of the East and West Forks, as catch-and-release only for trout with no trout kept; artificial fly and lure only applies Oct. 1 through April 30, and general statewide regulations apply May 1 through Sept. 30. The East Fork and South Fork Little Colorado entries have their own seasonal closures and single-pointed barbless-hook rules, so do not treat every fork the same.

Greer and River Reservoir corridor

The Greer reach and Greer Lakes area are the main practical base for this report. Confirm whether you are on public access before stepping off roads or campground areas.

Rolfe C. Hoyer Campground area

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest says Greer Lakes and the Little Colorado River are within walking distance of the campground.

Highway 261 to River Reservoir

Arizona conservation planning identifies this corridor as a coldwater sportfishery planning area with wild trout value.

East Fork Trail 95

The Forest Service says the trail immediately crosses the West Fork of the Little Colorado River and there is no bridge, so stream crossing conditions matter.

East Fork and South Fork planning areas

Useful for advanced trip planning, but both can carry special seasons, closures, and barbless-hook rules. Check the current rule table before fishing.

Transparent sources

Check the facts behind the plan.

Last material review: 2026-05-31

flowRiverReports: Little Colorado River at Greer flowUSGS current conditions: Little Colorado River at Greer, AZ safetyNational Weather Service forecast point near Greer regulationArizona special regulations and seasons, Commission Order 40 regulationArizona Fish and Boat fishing resources accessApache-Sitgreaves National Forest: Rolfe C. Hoyer Campground accessApache-Sitgreaves National Forest: East Fork Trail 95 backgroundArizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy: Little Colorado River, Highway 261 to River Reservoir backgroundArizona Wildlife Conservation Strategy: East Fork Little Colorado River backgroundWikimedia Commons image source: Little Colorado River at Greer

Common questions

Before you leave.

Is the Little Colorado River near Greer good for fly fishing?+

Yes, but it is a small, condition-sensitive trout stream. It is best when flows are stable, water is cold, and you use careful small-stream tactics instead of big-river methods.

What gauge should I check?+

Use RiverReports for the quick Greer chart and USGS 09383400, Little Colorado River at Greer, for the official streamflow and gage-height data.

Can I keep trout?+

Check the current Arizona rules before fishing. The special regulation table lists the Greer reach above River Reservoir to the East and West Fork confluence as catch-and-release only for trout.

What flies should I bring?+

Bring small dries, caddis, blue-winged olives, terrestrials, zebra midges, pheasant tails, hare's ears, small perdigons, soft hackles, and a few mini streamers.